It’s been a long time since I posted about a haircut but I’m so in love with this. Sofia decided that she didn’t want long hair anymore and showed me a video of Cher performing in the 1970s where her hair was a rounded bob. I fell in love and did my interpretation of it. I present the bowb to you. It’s a rounded bob that looks like you grew out a bowlcut and then cut a fringe. hence the word bowb. 1970s are back in fashion again but as I’ve always said, there’s no need to look like you just came out of a time machine, you should take elements of things from the past but bring it to today.
It all started in 2012 when I saw Fka Twigs on the cover of I-d magazine with the perfect baby hair (spelling love) adorning her forehead. The kiss curls were something African American girls were wearing for years before, but this was taking it to the next level. Fka Twigs became a superstar and so became her kiss curls, finally inspiring the hair at the Givenchy s/s 2015 show. I wanted to do something bigger with the baby hair, like a web made of tiny waves, forming an ornament on the forehead. I parted Antonia’s hair in the middle and slicked it back. The wet look has also been a big thing in fashion recently. The baby hair has been something women have been worrying for and trying to tame for years. Now it’s time to celebrate their existence.
FKA Twigs in i-D. Photography by Matthew Stone. Hair Alex Brownsell. [The Just Kids Issue, no. 320, Pre-Fall 12].
Fka Twigs in another event (couldn’t find photo credit for the picture).
A model walking down the runway at the Givenchy s/s 2015 show (couldn’t find photo credit for the picture).
Klea’s natural hair is curly but not that much, more like wavy that ends with a curl. I cut it shorter six months ago and kept it the same colour as the previous post of hers on this blog. My inspiration behind this look is Solange Knowles in the “Losing you” video. Marina Stat did Klea’s make-up. Now there’s a lot of girls with straight/slightly wavy hair wishing they had ringlets (the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence). To them my advice is that before you go down the chemical/permanent road and have your hair permed, you can always try it as a temporary hairstyle first (lasts till the next wash). This way, you get to transform into someone else and see if you like it without having to live with it for the next year. And before anyone accuses anyone of cultural appropriation, my response is that mixing and matching elements of different racial groups, ethnicities, cultures, eras or even scenes is definitely a way to come up with something new, something much needed indeed.
The amazing Solange Knowles in the “Losing you” video, 2012.
I pulled Vanessa’s hair back in a loose and low ponytail, inspired by the hair at the Antonio Marras fall 2013 rtw show, amazingly executed by Eugene Souleiman. Instead of the undone finger wave at the front, I went super-simple, plus I wanted the rest of the hair to be a little wavier. I spritzed a salt-water type of spray all over the hair to give it some definition and grip but didn’t overdo it. This isn’t about beach hair at all. The way the hair was done at the Marras show, meant that someone brought back the topsy tail. Last time I came across one of these was in 1994, when all the girls in my class were obsessing about it. Needless to say I used one and to tell you the truth, out of all the 1990’s nostalgia when it comes to beauty, it was one of the few things I am ecstatic to see return. Marina Stat did the make-up. It’s Vanessa’s birthday tomorrow, so I guess I’m the first to wish her the happiest of birthdays. We are going to party like it’s 1994.
Models walking down the runway at the Antonio Marras fall 2013 rtw show (couldn’t find photo credit for the pictures).
The (oh-so-cult-but-beloved) topsy tail 1993 tv ad
I cut Jo’s graduated bob inspired by Beyonce’s “Drunk in love” sea-water-drenched bob. I just cut a longer bob. It’s a bit layered in the front and that is from previous haircuts. That is the reason for the wave at the front though. At first I sprayed a bit of salt-water but as you can see in the second picture, I added more afterwards.
stills of Beyonce in the Drunk in love video, directed by Hype Williams.
I then pulled the hair up in a loose updo at the back of the neck. It’s not referencing anything from the past, it looks quite fresh actually. This is for all the girls that are not giving the bob a go because they fear that they won’t be able to pull it up, as it will be too short. Salt water gives the hair lots of grip so the updo is secure although it is loose. Six hairpins were enough. Aphrodite did both the make-ups.
I cut Vanessa’s hair and the inspiration behind the look was Cher in the 1960’s (minus the “sideburns”). It’s a one-length haircut with a long, blunt and rounded fringe covering her eyebrows. I didn’t straighten her hair, so when she moves you can see a bit of a natural wave underneath. This was left so intentionally so the hair screams natural. Marina Stat did the make-up and we ended up with a (young) Cher lookalike. I so wanted to pay an homage to this living legend. The 1960’s have been an inspiration (as far as beauty goes) in lots of fashion shows recently but Penelope Tree and Twiggy are the only names that keep coming up when hairstylists and make-up artists name their references. Kind of unfair if you ask me.
The fabulous Cher in the 1960’s (couldn’t find credits for the pictures).
Back in September last year, my beloved friend Evripidis decided to make a video for his song “Pure At Heart” and have Shook Yang Kids (the creators of Baronettes) direct it. Marina Stat and I were immediately brought on to discuss the make-up and the hair for the project. For Evripidis I kept his natural wavy and just tidied things up a bit, as any 1990’s indie boy would do with his hair.
There is a scene in the video where four passports of Evripidis are shown and of course I had to come up with four completely different looks. This can be sort of a challenge when someone’s hair is as short, so I suggested that not only should I style his hair in lots of ways but I should transform his full beard in different facial hair as well. The video is meant to be funny and trashy so I left my good taste aside and had lots of fun transforming him into the fraudster with the four (ridiculous) faces.
Celia played the girl whose dog Evripidis unleashes. A girl that went jogging in the park. Obviously the hair were pulled up in a ponytail (in the middle of the back) and a headband was added (much prettier than the standard sweatband). A hipster going jogging should look something like this. I kept Celia’s natural waves.
Faye played the girl who works at his office, a sort of mafia environment. I got to glam things up and my inspiration was Sharon Stone’s hair in Casino (1995).
Sharon Stone in Casino (couldn’t find photo credit for the picture).
Yiorgos played the bodyguard and he’s also seen at the “office” scene. I was inspired by Mad Men hairstyles quite obviously.
And then it’s the hookers scene. Dionisios played the tranny and he got a black wig with some volume and a French twist. Vanessa’s hair I kept natural and parted deep on the side because let’s face it, when you go out on the street turning tricks, you don’t necessarily have to have a unique hairstyle. Long hair will do. Klea’s blond hair was teased a lot without smoothing it out afterwards. Big, messy, sexy hair.
I pulled Manal’s hair up and I was inspired by both the classic 1940’s victory rolls and the interpretation of this updo recently worn by Scarlett Johansson. I first sprayed the hair with a salt-water type of spray so that it has some grip. I let it air-dry and form its natural wave. I then rolled the hair tightly to minimize the volume. I made sure that the roll is not visible from the front and there you have it. I’ve written countless times about how I prefer to draw inspiration from vintage hairstyles but alter them a lot so the person doesn’t look like they came out of a time-machine. Marina Stat did the make-up.
two images of the 1940’s victory rolls (couldn’t find photo credits for the pictures).
Scarlett Johansson at the “We bought a zoo” premiere, December 2012 (couldn’t find photo credit for the pictures).
I cut Panagiotis’s hair and the inspiration was the Ivy League, a type of crew cut in which the hair on the top of the head is long enough to style with a side part. I just left the hair on top a bit longer. Now that boys’ haircuts are becoming shorter and simpler, I’m taking lots of inspiration from military haircuts. They are low-maintenance haircuts in general. A tiny bit of wax will do. Aphrodite did the make-up. Taken from Wikipedia:
So this is Marina Stat. To say that without her my blog wouldn’t be the same is an understatement. She’s one of my bestest friends (we’ve calculated that we’ve been friends for more years of our lives than not) and she’s done most of the make-ups for this blog. I’ve called her the make-up to my hair and working with her keeps surprising me and will keep doing so for years to come. For some strange reason it took years to convince her to be photographed for my blog. This time her hair was super dry at the ends and the split ends were having a party, so we both agreed that I would cut a bit more length than the usual 3 cm she lets me trim every six months. I suggested that since 7-8 cm would fall on the floor, we could bleach them and then apply a crazy color. They would be cut off in a week anyways. This is how she ended up with purple ends. We decided to show three make-up and hair looks, since it’s the holiday season and people are going to be looking for inspiration. For this look, I tried to keep the texture close to her natural but a bit straighter. I dried the hair using my fingers and working differently with each strand. I used four products at different stages of this. I really like the contrast between the matte and dry-looking roots and mid-lengths and the super shiny wet-looking ends and fringe. The fringe I kept naturally wavy. It looks as interesting as a styled fringe but feels a bit fresher. So, all you girls with naturally wavy hair could experiment with your fringe before turning on the drier. Needless to say Marina did her make-up herself.
For the second look I was inspired by the hair at the Versace fall 2013 rtw show, beautifully done by Guido Palau. I straightened Marina’s hair and did a deep side parting. The deep side parting was seen at lots of fashion shows recently and was one of the hottest hair trends of 2013. It’s definitely staying in 2014. Now if you haven’t cut your fringe for some time, it’s the best time to try styling your hair this way. You can cut it next week.
A model walking down the runway at the Versace fall 2013 rtw show (couldn’t find photo credit for the picture).
For the third look I cut Marina’s fringe and chose a mid-length. Neither eyebrow-covering, nor micro-fringe. I was inspired by actress Rooney Mara’s hair at the 2012 Oscar ceremony. I got rid of the purple ends and pulled the hair up in a giant roll on her left. This looks like a bun but is a pretty simple updo, so a younger girl could try it too. Merry Christmas!
Actress Rooney Mara at the 2012 Oscar ceremony (couldn’t find photo credit for the picture).
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